Christmas Clothes

One of the things I love about Christmas is Christmas Clothes! I love that fun festive and dressy new outfit that the kids get to wear to church the Sunday before Christmas.

This is a tradition that I did growing up, and thanks to my mom, have continued it with my own kids. Every year I get excited to see what they will get to wear. This year was a big success, as they both looked so great!

Take a look...

* Lots of pictures! They just looked so darn cute! *

It was a very cold day as you can see. Crew was a ham and wouldn't stand by Reagan. Reagan wouldn't leave the little square on the ground. So I did the best I could as their mother! I hope you enjoy!

Post Overload

Whoa.

I am out of breath just looking at the posts I just posted.

There is so much to tell you all about and I just haven't been around to get these pictures edited and posted for you. So, here are 3 new, very long posts for you to enjoy, but be prepared for more to come because this last week was a blast and I can't wait to tell you about it!

Christmas Day!

We had a great Christmas day.

How could we not? We feel so lucky to have so much and be spoiled by our family. We love them all and appreciate all that they do for us!

Christmas morning we woke the kids up, they still don't quite understand the excitement of Santa leaving presents, because we had a fun day ahead and wanted to get to Grammy and Papa Henrie's house for even more fun.

The kids seemed to open too many presents. Reagan loved them all, she wanted to get them each out and play with them before they were all opened. Crew on the other hand recieved a race car track with shakeable racecars from Santa. It was all put together for him so he didn't leave it the whole morning. Steve opened all of his presents for him. Poor kid. The morning was great with yummy hot cho and Christmas music in the back ground.

Reagan couldn't stop for a second to take a picture. As you can see she is completely put out. Completely put out, but completely cute.

Once all our gifts had been opened, we packed up the car and headed out to Grammy and Papa's house for even more Christmas fun. Grammy made a delicious breakfast with Cinnimon Sugar French Toast, eggs and bacon. It was so very yummy. After we cleaned up breakfast, Sky and Heather arrived with some wonderful presents.

Let me give you some background... Sky's girlfriend is Heather. Heather's mom is a seamstress. Not just any seamstress, she makes wedding dresses. She is FABULOUS at this and I will admit that we have abused her talent a few times in the past. Ok, now on with Christmas...

Heather said her mother sent presents for Crew and Reagan. Of course, Reagan went first and opened this beauty from Heather's mom...

Is this to die for cute? Or what? Reagan now has her very own, one of a kind, princess dress! This isn't just any dress either, it is lined in satin and has the neatest details. As you can imagine, Reagan LOVES it and wore it the entire day. It is just that cute.

Now, Crew doesn't exactly wear dresses. So I was curious as to what she would get him, and she nailed it. She got him this super cute stuffed frog that is as big as he is! Is this cute or what?

The opening of presents continued and there were many surprises! We were all spoiled as usual, and it was great! I don't think the kids knew what to do with all the toys they got. But as the day went on, they seemed to find time for all of them. I don't there there was one that was neglected!

Reagan was having so much fun that she pretended that she was too tired to continue and went to sleep on the footstool.

Overall it was really a great Christmas! We feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family that loves and supports us and is continually giving in anyway they can.

I hope all of you had as great a Christmas as we did! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2009

What a fun Holiday season we had this year! Every year has been great, and this year was no dissappointment!

We spend every Christmas Eve with the Diederich's. Every year is very similar. We go see a movie in the theater with the whole family, this year we saw The Prince and the Frog. It was a lot of fun. The kids are at an age where they will actually sit and watch the movie. Of course it helps to have a bucket of popcorn, but they did great!

After the movie we all head over to Grandma and Papa D's house for more festivities. They are still not home, but we invade their house anyways. It wouldn't be the same if we didn't. Their house is our representation of them! We missed them so much, but were happy we were able to talk to them on the phone. (more on that later).

Once we have all gathered together we eat a most splendid meal with ham, turkey, cheesy potatoes and all the fixins. I am lucky to have married into a family that really knows how to cook, every meal is one to look forward to, and this was no exception.

Reagan and Crew had the time of their lives, they love being with their cousins and I think that was enough to make the night a success. But there was much more that added to the excitement.

After dinner we all gathered in the Living Room where Summer and Amelia lead us all in some Christmas Carols as we waited for Santa to stop by for a quick visit as he was out delivering presents.

Our beardless Santa did finally arrive with gifts for each of the kids. Crew was the lucky guys who got to go first. I was a little nervous at how he would act with Santa since Reagan has always been petrified of the man, but Crew seemed to be indifferent. That was, until he realized Santa was going to give him a gift, then he really seemed to like the guy!

Reagan, on the other hand, was a little different. Even after watching Crew sit on his lap and give him a hug, she did not want to go anywhere near him. As you can see...

But after some coaxing from Steve, she let go of her death grip and gave Santa a second to prove that he was an ok guy. Santa did a great job and handed over one of his bell bracelets for her to wear. He must know the quickest way to a 3 year old girls heart, because that was enough to keep her seated there until he gave Reagan her real present, her jammies.

For the next 30 or 40 minutes all the gifts were distributed to all of the kids, and adults as well, and an opening frenzie ensued. It was the funnest chaos there is to have. Reagan and Crew were spoiled like you can't believe and the whole process was the most fun they get to have all year.

Reagan's aunt Carie made her the cutest apron I have ever seen for a little girl! The best part is that it matches the apron that Carie gave me for my birthday, so Reagan and I are twinners! Reagan loves it, and insists on wearing it every time we are eating. So freakin' cute!

After all the presents have been opened we all put on our boots and our coats, we all went over to the Hanks' house for our little talent show. Each of the kids prepare something to share, and it is a real treat. I wonder if Reagan likes the talent show better than the presents. We were able to see how talented the kids have become at the piano, singing, and guitar. It was fun. Reagan couldn't be left out of the show so she and Crew did a number together.

Crew had a harder time paying attention to the show, but luckily we had uncle Dan there to keep him occupied...

After all was said and done and it was time to go home and get in bed to await Santa's visit to our homes, we gathered the kids together for our yearly picture. It is hard to get everyone looking and smiling, but we do the best we can! Here is what I got...

It was such a fun night! Thank you to all of our family for making it special!

Grandma and Papa - we can't wait for you to be home in less than a month! We missed you and can't wait to celebrate with you next year!

Reagan's 1st Dance Performance!

This past September Reagan started taking dance classes with her best friend, McKella, who lives next door. This has been the most fun Reagan has ever had. She looks forward to dance class with Miss Liesel every monday. She loves wearing her dance outfit, putting on her dance shoes, and spinning around the house until it is time to go. If I would let her, she would wear her dance clothes all day long, but I'm not that nice.

After the last few months of these cute little three year olds practicing, they finally got to show off their new moves at their Christmas Recital. I have to admit that I didn't go in with very high expectations. After all, they are only 3 and had never been in an organized class of any kind, so what could they do on a stage that would look like a choreographed dance? Well, I was super surprised to see what they had been able to do in only a few short months.

Reagan's class did a dance to Jewel's version of Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer and it was so cute I about died! I took so many pictures and they all look the same, but they all did a fabulous job. I even got a "Hey, there's mommy!" from Reagan accompanied with a wave in the middle. It was great!

The only costume direction we had was a red, black, white, green or gold liatard with a red or green skirt. They said she could wear a christmas dress if we wanted, but I didn't feel that would be very fun for a Christmas Dance Recital. So Reagan got to wear one of her Christmas presents. I got her the tutu and she was in heaven! She looked great and had the time of her life spinning around in the thing. If you were to stop by randomly, you would probably find Reagan wearing her skirt around the house. It is that much fun. I have to admit, I love it too!

As I mentioned before, Reagan takes dance with her friend, McKella, who lives across the street. They are the best of friends. They love each other so much they can't help but fight. I think it is a disease between girls. They just can't help it. They want to be together all of the time, but when they are together they don't always get along. Such is the life of 3 year old girls. It is actually really fun to watch.

I have to say that it is so nice to have these two live so close and be friends. I think Reagan learns more by spending time with McKella than she could ever learn at home. McKella and Reagan are only 4 days apart and they are so similar it is crazy. They always want to play with the same things, purses, princess dresses, make-up, and such. They are total girls and I can't get enough of them both! And through it all they have nothing but love for eachother...

Here they are dancing their hearts out on the little stage. It was a packed house, and they didn't dissappoint.

Reagan had quite an audience all to herself, not only did she have Steve, Crew and I there to applaud her, she also had her Aunt Heidi and cousins Summer and Amelia there to cheer her on and she was so excited! Thanks for coming, guys!

Reagan was the cutest dancer there, in my opinion, and I had so much fun watching her! Thanks, sweetheart for always putting on a show and keeping us smiling and laughing! We love you!

Happy New Year!

I know I told you that I was going to keep my Christmas Header up all year long because I love it so much, but Josie surprised me with a new one yesterday!!! Are you as excited as I am? I love it just as much as the other one so it looks like it is going to be up for the long haul! At least until I have a picture with the little bundle waiting to join the family next month. (Can you believe he is coming in a month? I can't! Wahoo!)

I wanted to share the new header with you and wish you all a Happy New Year! I hope that 2010 brings you all joy, excitement and love.

5 YEARS!

*warning, this is like the longest post of my life. But it was necessary.

Happy Anniversary Baba!

5 years! This is our first landmark. Way to go! I am so lucky to have fallen in love with such a great guy. You are thoughtful, considerate, friendly, kind, patient, giving, loving, genuine, helpful, fun, spiritual, warm, trustworthy, and the list could go on, and on... To me you are everything that I could have hoped to find in a husband. You are the perfect person for me to share this life with. You teach me how to be a better me. Thank you for that. Thank you for being you and making my life so happy.

Looking back over the last 5 years that we have been together always makes me smile. We have been through a lot together and always come out on top. I really believe that together we can take on the world and win! I love you with all of my heart, and can't wait to see what the future holds for us!

I LOVE YOU!

Here are some pictures from our wedding/engagement/bridals...

OUR STORY

For those of you who don't know our story, I thought I would share it with you. Since it is our 5 year anniversary. Because when else do you get the opportunity to talk about yourselves if not on your anniversary?

Steve and I met at Utah State University (the best school in the state) in 2003. I was a senior and Steve had 3 semesters left. I don't know if you could call him a senior, he did school a little longer than some ;) We met at our student wards first family home evening for that school year. We were in the same family. I remember that we went to our high councilmans house who lived like 30 minutes away. That is the way it is in Logan. They call people to help with the student wards from all over the valley. Steve was brave and jumped in my car which was also filled with two of my roommates, Erin & Jessica. I don't even want to describe the conversation that we had on our way to the high councilman's home. I was completely embarrased and thought "this poor guy is never going to talk to us again!" and "I can't believe we are making this kind of impression in a ward we are brand new to!" I was dieing. I did a lot of turning red and gasping. Erin and Jessica did a lot of laughing, and as I remember it, so did Steve. That is one thing I remember most about Steve, his laugh. He laughed all of the time, he still does really. You know you've got him going when he covers his mouth when he laughs. You know it really got him good when he does that.

Sorry, where was I?

Well, that wasn't really where our romance started. That is just where we met. We became friends that socialized on Sundays and at ward activities. I really thought Steve was great, but knew he had other interests in the ward, so I didn't really think much of going out with him. (those other interests are fabulous stories, by the way. Remind me to tell you about them at some other time.)

As the year went on and we became better friends, friends that hung out on the weekends and outside of church activities, I really began to like Steve. My little crush was growing and he was clearly oblivious. I decided that there was no reason to keep my crush a secret. I mean, what did I have to lose? If he didn't like me, he didn't like me. We were good friends and the school year would end and that would be the end of any wierdness I would have created. So I basically told anyone who was associated with Steve what a great guy I thought he was and how I wished he would ask me out.

This never happened.

There was no request for a date or any other signals that indicated he knew I liked him at all. He was completely the same towards me. Then... One day... we were watching TV and a commercial came on about some snowmobile thing that was happening at the Delta Center. He became entranced by this commercial. Like he was overcome with some great desire. I looked at him like he was crazy. I mean, what's the big deal about a bunch of snowmobiles riding around in circles, on dirt, inside a building? I didn't get it. But he was hooked. So I told him that I could get him tickets if he wanted to go. (my dad has some connections and I didn't think it would be too difficult to scrounge up a couple to this weird event). He was so excited.

It happened to be during spring break so I called him with all of the information he needed... the tickets were at will call in his name... time and date of the event... etc. As we were talking he was surprised that I wasn't going with him. This was never in the plan. I was getting HIM tickets. Plus, I had plans for Spring Break to drive to California with some friends to watch USU's Basketball Team play and go to Disneyland. I really wanted to go out with Steve, but not enought to stay home from my trip. As I explained my plans, he sounded genuinly disappointed and said he wanted a rain check. That was great by me!

So about a month went by and things seemed to be just as they had always been. A lot of hanging out and not a lot of anything else. I kept waiting for this rain check thing to happen, and it never did. So one day I got brave and told him he owed me a date! He immediately turned red and said he knew he did and that he just didn't think I would actually want to go. I was shocked! How could he think I didn't want to go? Didn't his roommates tell him how much I liked him? Couldn't he see by the way I acted and talked with him at all the different functions we attended? Apparently not. Steve is blind. Come to find out, his roommates did tell him a number of times that I liked him, and he just thought they were crazy. That's Steve for you. He takes a long time to realize and act on just about anything.

About a week later we went on our first date, that all of his roommates bailed on, by the way. So it was only the two of us, which was actually quite perfect. a week after that we had our first kiss. A few weeks after that I went to Europe for 3 weeks and missed him like crazy. And about 3 weeks after I got home he told me he loved me. And probably about 3 weeks after that we decided we wanted to get married.

We were engaged at the end of August and married on December 17, 2004 in the Manti Temple. It was a beautifully freezing day. Perfect.

We have spent the last 5 years growing in our marriage, building a home, raising a family, and sharing it all with those we love.

I have it pretty good, and most of it is due to a pretty great guy who finally decided to ask me out on a date. Thank you for doing that, baba. It was the start of a pretty great life.

I love you!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

New Blog Header

It's about time, I know.

I'm sorry for leaving that old header up there for so long! I have no excuse, other than I couldn't come up with anything better.

That is until I saw what Josie had done to her blog.

Then I knew it was time for a change.

So I begged and begged Jo to help me out and create a new header for me. I told her I would do ANYTHING! (I mean that, Jo, I owe you big time now!)
As you can see, she obliged me.

Look at what a fabulous job she has done!

I have to tell you all sorry for one small thing...

Because it is sooooo very cute, I think it may stay up here for a long time. That means you guys get to deal with the holiday header for awhile. Sorry. (I'm not really that sorry).

THANK YOU JO!!!

Crew's Port Surgery

Time just keeps on tickin' on...

We have been talking about getting a port put in Crew for what seems like forever, but what is actually like 6 months. And this week we finally did just that. We knew this day was coming up, but it really kind of snuck up on us.

Let me give you a little briefing on what we had done, as some of you may not have a clue about this kind of thing (I sure didn't until we had our little man). As you know by now, Crew has Hemophilia which requires him to have regular infusions of factor 8 when he gets bad bruises on his little body. The factor must be given into his vein. This has meant a lot of visits to Primary Children's Hospital to have an IV placed and factor given. You can imagine that it is not a fun day when Crew gets hurt. Basically everything you wanted to do that day gets scrapped and you spend a day at the hospital and come home with a club fist, at least that is what we call it when Crew has an IV in his hand.

So... the solution to this is the port. A port is a little quarter shaped thing that is placed just under his skin on his chest. This port is connected to a vein so that we can easily access it to give him his factor. When the port is in place we can give him his factor at home because we don't have to find the vein when poking in the needle. We just feel for the port, put on some numbing cream, and poke in the needle. Then we give him his factor and pull the needle out. Done. Doesn't that sound like a dream? It does to us!

So... that is what we did this week. Crew had the port surgically placed under his skin. It was a very long day... I will spare you the awful details, but once we finally got Crew back with the doctors, the surgery went great! He is such a champ! I am constantly amazed at what this little guy has to go through and how quickly he recovers from it all.

Here is the Sir-man at home right before we left for the hospital at 9:30... He had no idea what was coming...

This isn't to show you how cute his little tummy is, although it is very cute. I wanted you to see what he looked like before the port was placed...

Here is what we found when we were able to see him after the surgery at about 5:00...

He was completely out! There was no waking him! But that probably had to do with the fact that he hadn't gotten a nap and was given some major sleeping meds. Oh, but isn't he sweet?

I just wanted to pick him up and hold him. He looked so peaceful and I wanted to rub some off on me!

Here is what his chest looks like with the port in and accessed. Accessed means that the needle has been poked into the port and we can give him medicine into his port.

It looks kind of scary, I know. But when we are done giving him factor in a few days, we can take the needle out and you will only see a little bump on his chest where the port lies. It really is a miracle that they have discovered this for people like Crew who have to get poked so much.

As I told you, Crew was OUT. We tried to get him to wake up with no avail. So the nurse told us to give him about 10 more minutes and try again. Steve and I sat down and started waiting and all of a sudden Crew opened his eyes and sat up. He was AWAKE and he didn't want to be in that bed or hooked to the monitors any more! It was so funny. We couldn't get him to lay back down or leave the monitors alone. He was done and ready to go. The nurse needed to see that he could drink a little bit of juice and keep it down before we could leave so she got him a sippy cup, but he didn't want it. He wanted to leave. So she tried the popcicle. He didn't want to eat that but he did want to hold it. The juice suddenly became appetizing and he downed the whole bottle. When he realized it was gone he chucked the bottle accross the room because he wanted more. The nurse refilled it and he downed it again and wanted more. At this point the nurse was nervous that he was going to throw up and didn't want to give him any more but filled it and said to wait until we were on our way home. Well, Crew never threw up and finished that 3rd bottle without blinking. He was thirsty! Poor kid! It had been a long day with no food or drink and he needed to make up for it!

Love this kid...

Sometimes I wonder why this sweet little guy has to go through so much. I don't know the answer to that. But I do know that he is stronger than most his age and will hopefully have a sensitivity to others that most will never understand. I know I am starting to see others and their struggles in a different light and I'm not the one who has to go through it all. I hope he takes this awful trial and makes himself better for it. We love you Crew!

Missing Bear

One week ago, on Thanksgiving day, we came home from our dinner to find that our family friend and Steves best pal had passed away. Not something you ever expect or want to find and I can tell you that it wasn't a great ending to an otherwise nice day, it was awful actually.

Let me tell you a little bit about Bear, in case you didn't get the opportunity to meet him. Bear is the sweetest most gentle dog I have ever come in contact with. He always let our kids play with his fur, his ears or his tail without much resistance. Crew and Reagan absolutely adored him. In the last few months Reagan had learned how to get Bear to do tricks like Shake and sit, so every morning she started her day giving Bear treats as he listened to her commands. This is a cool thing to see a 3 year old do. Crew just wanted to play with Bear every chance he got. Crew would chace Bear around the house and grab his tail. If I were Bear I would have been bothered, but he never seemed that way. It always seemed that Bear enjoyed the attention.

The one quality that stood out the most to me about Bear is loyalty. Bear was extremely loyal to Steve. He and Steve have been best buds for almost 11 years, long before I came into the picture, and nothing seemed to be able to seperate the two of them. Bear never left Steves side, day or night. If Bear thought Steve was going somewhere he would throw a fit trying to get out of the back yard and into the car with Steve. I think the worst part of Bears life was when Steve wasn't home. I think if Steve had his way, he would have had Bear with him at work, or on his errands, or whereever it was he had to go. He loved Bear that much too.

We are going to miss Bear tremendously and do every day.

Steve's sweet mother wrote a poem about Bear that I want to share with you...

Missing Bear

His warm fur against my feet
His doing a "trick" for a special treat
His big, brown eyes that understood
All my frustrations and efforts for good.

The "Wildness" in him that stirred my soul;
This "silent" friend that accepted my goals.
His soft, low "growl" when he wanted "out",
And the extra nudging with his snout!

He was "Dasher" and "Dancer" all rolled into one!
Our walks on the beach; the chases, the fun!
Brushing his "coat" until it just glistened!
He'd stand there and love it and listen and listen!

He's walking ahead of me now, on the trail;
Shaking his collar and wagging his tail
Checking to see if I'm close with the "truck"
Knowing "his" presence assures me of "luck"!

We love you, Bear, and hope you are happy. We miss you and can't wait to see you again!